Mumbai: Rain plays spoilsport for mango lovers on Gudi Padwa

APMC traders who were hoping that the untimely rainfall would not affect the supply of alphonsos on Gudi Padwa were disappointed, as barely 100 trucks of the fruit reached the market on Saturday

Fruit traders at the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) were left disappointed at the supply of alphonso mangoes on Gudi Padwa. The untimely rainfall in the state brought down the supply of mangoes to the Vashi wholesale market, putting a dampener on the traditional New Year.

Fruit traders at APMC believe that the price of alphonsos should come down once the peak season of mango begins in April. File pic

On Saturday, the APMC market received just 25,000 boxes of alphonso mangoes, as compared to 65,000 received last year on Gudi Padwa. “People usually start buying mangoes on Gudi Padwa, and the demand increases after that. However, the unseasonal rain has affected supplies, and the wholesale price of mangoes remained more or less unaffected,” Balkrishna Shinde, a fruit trader said.

Alphonsos on Saturday were sold for R1,000-R4,000 per box, each containing five dozen mangoes each. “Depending on the quality and size of mangoes, they are being sold for Rs 200-Rs 600 per dozen in the wholesale market. In the coming days, if the supply increases, then the price is expected to come down,” Shinde added.

Waiting for peak seasonSanjay Pansare, director, APMC fruit market, said, “We have received less mangoes this year on Gudi Padwa. Hardly 100 trucks entered the market on Saturday. But the supply should improve in a few days. Until then, there will be no major difference in the price of mangoes.”

In the retail market, alphonsos are being sold anywhere between Rs 800-Rs 1,000 per dozen, which, traders believe, should come down once the peak season of mango begins in April. During the month of May, the fruit market of APMC is flooded with trucks loaded with alphonsos.